


A Rose That Blooms In Shadow

by KingSorrow



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Romance, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-06-10 13:55:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6959593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingSorrow/pseuds/KingSorrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate telling of how team RWBY comes together, it all begins when Ruby joins the White Fang</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Girl In Red

Deep inside one of the White fang's hide out located in a remote part of Remnant. A girl awoke in her quarters to the sound of light knocking on the door to her room. She sat up in bed and flung the thin scratchy blanket off of her, she was already dressed, wearing the uniform of the White fang. A simple white tunic with their symbol a red snarling wolf head with three slashes on it, draped over black tights, she had gotten dressed a few hours ago and decided to get a bit more sleep before her mission started. 

She stood grabbing the final piece of the uniform off of the bare nightstand beside her bed, a grim mask that covered the top half of her face, she put it on as their was another knock on the door, this time louder then the last.

“Hold on I’m coming.” she said her voice flat, as she pulled the black hood over her raven colored hair and black cat ears. She would rather wear her normal clothes but this mission was important and she was told she needed to show her support by wearing the uniform. She hadn't had to wear it since she had been a grunt. She sighed as she opened a weapon create by her bed and pulled out her weapon gambol shroud, and its sheath and placed it between her shoulder blades before heading to the door. 

She pulled it open and her partner Adam, stood there, also dressed like her, she felt the corner of her lip pull up in a grin at the sight, she had never seen him out of his usual outfit. “oh, seeing you in that brings back memories, Blake.” he said, his voice was light but rough, his right hand rested on his weapons Wilt and Blush, she knew them well, Wilt was a red bladed Japanese chokuto, and Blush was a rifle.

Blake rolled her eyes, even though she knew that he couldn't see her eyes behind the mask. “Shut up Adam,” she said walking past him into the main hallway of the white fang barracks. 

“I don't like this anymore then you do, but orders are orders.” he said walking after her as she headed towards the double doors at the far end of the hallway that exited the barracks. She scoffed lightly but didn't say anything, she wasn't agitated by the fact that she had to wear the uniform, but by the fact that a new recruit would be joining her and Adam on this mission.

She hated when the higher ups wanted to pin a new member on them so they could judge how they did on the field. A new member meant that the mission would be even more stressful on her since she didn't know the person fighting beside her, or if they would be trustworthy enough if they got in a pinch.

“Not eager about the new blood?” Adam said as if reading her mind as they reached the double doors. She nodded pushing one open and walked through into a large room, the central hub of this compound, from here you could reach any part of their base, people milled around and the noise level was a steady thrum of low voices.

“Yeah,” she responded dully, she didn't need to say much to him, after being with him so long he understood her pretty well.

“This newbie's interesting, you'll like her.” he said, “lets go, she's waiting outside.” he added leading the way through the crowd to the front doors.

'So the newbie's a girl.' Blake thought, this was the first information on the newbie she had heard. “I doubt that I like her.” she said following after Adam.

Adam smiled as he navigated through the crowd on his way to the front doors. He knew Blake was cold and reserved so he was very curious about how she would handle this new blood, besides he had been the one to set it up, partly to see how the two would react to each other and partly for other reasons. He grinned coyly beneath the mask as he reached the doors. Another member walking in held the door for them as they walked out, he nodded his head in passing.

Once outside it didn't take long to spot their new partner, the girl was bouncing nervously up and down. “There she is.” He mumbled to Blake.

Blake looked around him and spotted her easily, she was dressed like them, but her hood was down showing short messy black and red hair, Blake's eyebrow raised curiously, unlike them, the girl was wearing a red hood.


	2. The Meeting

“she doesn't smell like a faunus.” Blake said warily as she eyed the small horns sticking out of the girls messy hair. Something about this girl seemed off to her. Adam smirked slightly, “She is a bit different.” he said cryptically. 

Blake opened her mouth to question what he meant but the girl spot them. “Oh hi!” she exclaimed waving at them excitedly and hurried to them. Blake sighed. 'Great she's bubbly.' she thought. This is going to be a very long mission. 

“Hey Adam, we already met but I don’t know you.” The girl dragged out the word 'you' as she turned to Blake, her arms were swinging at her sides as she bounced slightly, the movement moved her hood, and Blake could see some kind of red rectangular weapon in a holster on the girls back. “I'm Blake.” Blake said introducing herself. 

“And I'm Ruby,” she said “i was so excited on the mission that I couldn't sleep and I got hungry and was going to find the mess hall and eat but I got lost and wandered around until a nice person showed me the way....” she continued on talking but Blake blocked her out. 'how could she get lost going to the mess hall you just go straight from the main room.' Blake thought. 'why would they do this to me.' she watched as the girls mouth kept moving. 

“...then I came out here like you told me to...” Ruby continued, 

'And she's still talking.' Blake thought incredulously. Adam stepped forwards. “we need to move to the ospreys.” 

“oke-doky.” Ruby said finally closing her mouth. Blake sighed in relief, mentally thanking Adam. 

Adam walked past Ruby heading to the west side of the compound where the Ospreys where kept. As Ruby turned to follow Blake stepped forwards reaching for the girls hood. “You know your only suppose to wear the uniform.” She said, her fingers brushing the cloth, in the blink of the eye the girl had spun around rose petals floated in the air as Ruby drew the weapon from behind her back, it stretched into a gun and she leveled it against Blake's forehead. Blake blinked, 'She's fast.' 

“Don't touch my hood.” Ruby snapped, her voice was hard and angry. The chipper upbeat girl was gone. Blake's eyes narrowed, their was something different about this girl. “Right.” Blake said drawing out the word as she took a step back. “Glad we got that covered.” Ruby bubbled, holstering her gun as she turned around and started into a mix of walking and skipping as she followed Adam.

Blake's mouth twitched into a slight grin, the new girl was certainly interesting. 'Her semblance must be speed.' Blake thought as she followed after her partners. 'I didn't even see her draw her gun, but what was with those rose petals?' she thought. She caught herself staring at the smaller girl and shook her head.

“Do we need to go over the mission?” Adam asked, his voice made Blake look up. She knew the mission back and forward, she made a point to never go in blind. “Umm, maybe we should go over it again.” she chuckled scratching her head.

“its a simple hit and grab run.” Adam started and Blake spoke taking over, “The Schnee companies top Dustologist has developed a new dust crystal and is personally taking it to the head of the Schnee family himself a long with a number of guards. Our mission is to intercept the caravan and...” Ruby cut her off, “Steal the crystal!” she exclaimed excitedly and punched the air. Blake frowned. 

“No, care to try another guess?” Adam said over his shoulder as they started walking up a steep hill.

“Um, we are...Um, going to attack them and um, send a, message?” Ruby guessed grasping at straws. “partially right, we are going to get that Dustologist.” Adam said.  
Blake grinned slightly, if they had the top Dustologist that would majorly slow down the Schnee dust company and give us a massive bargaining chip.

“I didn't know that the White fang were kidnappers.” Ruby commented as they trudged up the grassy hill. 

Blake looked away, the girl was right, a lot had changed since the new leader had took over the White Fang and lot of it she didn't always agree with the newer violent ways. “White Fang are whatever we need to be.” Adam said as they reached the pentacle of the hill the wind picked up as a Osprey lowered from the early morning sky. the air from the osprey buffeted the grass and blew the air around the girls heads. “We will go over the mission some more on the way to the ambush sight!” Adam shouted over the sound of the engine as the osprey landed, its side bay doors slid open showing an empty cargo room. 

Adam reached the Osprey and jumped into the cargo hold, his footsteps echoed through the hold and he turned and helped Ruby up into the hold. He offered his hand to Blake, she ignored him and jumped into the hold by herself. 

“Lets go!” Adam yelled to the pilot. “It'll be a few hours before we make it to the ambush sight so you may as well settle in.” he instructed the females as he sat and leaned against the cargo door after it had closed. 

Ruby sat down cross legged and started to hum a strange song as the Osprey lifted off of the ground. Blake sighed, 'this is going to be a long flight.'


	3. chapter 3

Blake stared at the ceiling of the cargo bay counting the rivets in the metal for the fifth time, they only had around thirty minutes until they reached the ambush zone and the entire time they had been on the Osprey Ruby had been constantly moving around and humming that song, at first it had gotten on her nerves but she had started to like it.  
“What is that song you keep humming?” Adam said, it was the first thing he had said since they had left. Ruby looked up, she had been picking at the hem of her hood. “its a song, my mother use to sing to me.” she explained in a quiet voice.  
“I'm curious, could you sing it?” Adam asked her. She shook her head and ducked her head. Blake found her self frowning, slightly disappointed, she had wanted to hear the song.   
Ruby started singing, her voice was light and beautiful, it seemed to reach into Blake's soul.

“Red like roses fill my dreams and brings me to the place you rest...  
White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test  
Black the beast descends from shadows!  
Yellow beauty burns gold.”

The last note of the song hung in the silence of the air. And Blake realized she had been holding her breath during the song. She let it out, her ragged breath breaking the silence. Ruby ducked her head again. “It's something like that, my mother could sing it a lot better then I could.” She mumbled awkwardly.   
Blake scoffed “I doubt that.”   
“I've never heard anyone sing like that.” Adam stated agreeing with Blake. “Thanks.” Ruby muttered pulling her hood lower over her head.  
Adam sighed and stood up with a groan and stretched until his joints popped. “We will be landing soon, so here's the plan so listen up good.” he told them. Ruby looked up pulling her hood back.   
“when we get there Ruby will stay at the landing site while I stop the convoy. When the soldiers make their appearance to confront me. Me and Ruby will handle them while you Blake will get our new friend.” he explained the plan to them.   
“How is Ruby going to help you take out the soldiers from where we land?” Blake asked. “That’s easy!” the hooded girl exclaimed jumping to her feet. She produced the red rectangle from the holster on her back. It extended and unfolded into a massive black and red scythe. Blake jumped slightly out of surprise as the tip of the scythe stabbed into the floor of the osprey.  
“This is Crescent Rose, a high impact sniper scythe, my baby.” She purred petting the metal. Blake smirked slightly at the girl. 'She's kind of adorable.' Blake thought then shook her head frowning. 'what am I thinking?' she thought.  
“Sir, were landing now!” the pilot shouted from the front. “alright, everyone on their feet and ready. Once we land we have fifteen minutes to get into position. Then the convoy would reach the interception point.” Adam ordered as they felt the osprey start to descend. Ruby returned crescent rose to its unreleased form and put it in its holster. Blake lifted herself off the floor and stretched.   
This mission was different in so many ways. The white fang she had grew up in was gone now and in its place was this group that carried out violent acts. Maybe this was the right way to go about winning equality for faunus. She wasn't sure.  
The osprey sat down with a slight bump that jostled them. Ruby waved her arms in circles comically as she regained her balance. “I am OK.” Ruby stated regaining her balance. “Lets get this done.” Adam stated as the cargo doors slid open with a mechanical groan.   
“Lets go shoot some people.” Ruby giggled and jumped out of the doors to the ground below.  
“She's eager.” Adam commented amused, Blake just shrugged and then they followed her.


	4. chapter 4

Ruby, Blake, and Adam walked away from the Osprey as the engines where turned off. Blake looked around them, they where on top of some hill in a clearing that was surrounded by tall oak trees. Birds flew between branches singing their song in the sunlight.   
Blake looked at Adam. “Are you sure doing a hit and grab mission in daylight is a good idea?” she asked concerned.   
“Yeah, the roads that this convoy will be heading down have been shut down to all others but them.” Adam explained to her. “Ruby, you see that tree right there?” Adam continued, pointing at a large oak that stood taller then the others around it.  
Ruby looked up at it shielding her eyes from the sun and nodded. “Yeah I see it, what about it?” she asked curiously.   
“From there you can see the road, that’s going to be your shooting position, so get up there.” he ordered. Ruby turned and stared at him unbelievably.   
“How on earth do you expect me to get up in that thing?” she questioned. “There’s no lower branches that I can reach.”  
Adam grinned walking to her and grabbed her by the back of her hood. “You wouldn't.” Ruby said her voice grave, she seemed to be almost daring him. Blake grinned slightly as Adam lifted Ruby and flung her at the tree.   
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! YOUSTUPIDPERSONIDON'TLIKEYOUANYMORE!”  
Ruby screamed as she flew through the air.  
Adam tisked slightly, watching Ruby fly through the air. “I may have threw her a bit to low.” He said with slight concern in his voice. “Will she be OK?” Blake asked watching the screaming girl fly.  
Ruby flew through the air kicking her legs and waving her arms. She started falling the closer she got to the tree. 'He didn't even throw me hard enough!' she thought. As she reached the tree she stretched out her hand to the lowest branch. She grabbed it and her weight tugged on her arm making the thick bark of the branch bite into her palm. She cursed and grabbed the branch with her other hand as she swung back and forth.  
“Stupid Adam.” She grumbled pulling herself up on the branch. She straddled it and inched herself back towards the trunk and leaned against it.  
“Can you see the road, you should be able to see a animal crossing sign, do you?” Adam called up to her. Ruby looked around, sure enough, down the hill she could see where the forest ended and a large field of wheat or something like it started, between them a black asphalt road cut between them.   
She also spotted the yellow animal crossing sign. “Yeah I see it!” Ruby yelled down to him. He nodded. “Good, that’s the ambush spot!” he told her. Ruby started laughing loudly.  
Adam looked at Blake who shrugged. “What are you laughing about?” Adam questioned her. “Where faunus and the ambush site is marked with an animal crossing sign!” Ruby exclaimed through her laughter.  
Blake chuckled while Adam face palmed, that wasn't the idea. “What ever, just make sure you don't shoot us when this starts.” Adam said with a sigh.   
“Yes sir.” Ruby chuckled saluting him.  
“Come on Blake we only have a few minutes left.” He said leading the way into the trees.


	5. Chapter 5

Ruby shifted her position on the tree branch, resting crescent rose on her knee to reduce the sway as she peered through the scope down at Adam who was standing in the middle of the road, just to the left of the animal crossing sign. She adjusted her scope to account for the wind speed. Leveling the cross hairs on his head, her finger brushing the trigger lightly. She blinked and let out a breath before moving the cross hair of of his head, she needed to concentrate on other things.   
Her bullets would be stopped by the convoys guard's aura, it wouldn't kill them, but it would knock them out. She took a breath, waiting for the time till the ambush.  
Adam stood on the empty road, one hand resting on Wilt and Blush. He moved his weight from leg to leg restlessly, he was slightly concerned. Blake was hidden a few yards ahead in the forest, and would do her job flawlessly, that wasn't his concern,   
The girl with the sniper rifle most likely aimed at him at the moment is what worried him, he didn't one hundred percent trust the girl yet.  
The sound of multiple engines reached his ears and he felt himself smile, 'I guess now will show her loyalty.' He thought sliding his feet apart and crouching, he grabbed wilt tightly in his hand.   
The first truck, a large gray painted armored vehicle with a white snowflake on the hood came around the corner, the driver saw Adam and blared his horn, but instead of stopping he picked up speed barreling towards Adam.  
Quickly Adam drew Wilt a red beam stretched across the distance and cut through the armor of the truck, flames and smoke poured out as the engine exploded, the truck swerved and flipped on its side, sparks shot out from under it as it slid towards Adam who only sheathed Wilt and stood up straight. The two trucks following the first slammed on their breaks as the first slid to a stop a few feet in front of Adam. For a moment the only sound was the flames crackling in the crashed trucks engine.  
The drivers side door opened and a soldier, dressed in blue and gray armor climbed out onto the side of the truck, he swayed disoriented, as he stood.   
Adam lifted his hand up, hoping that Ruby would get his meaning. The third trucks doors opened and soldiers spilled out of it, they all held the standard issued assault rifles. The back doors of the crashed truck fell open with a bang and more troops spilled out, they formed circle around him till he was surrounded. He counted twenty soldiers pointing guns at him. He looked up at the man standing on the truck in front of him. “you didn't bring enough people.” Adam said letting his hand fall. “You cocky Bastard, kill...” the Solider never finished his sentence a shot rang out and the mans head jerked to the side and he fell off the truck.  
The soldiers surrounding him jumped surprised and he took advantage to their confusion and fired Blush launching Wilt into the closest mans face with enough force to knock him out, he moved quickly grabbing Wilt and dispatching four soldiers before the others could react.  
They where to closely packed together so as they fired trying to hit him they would hit their own men as he moved quickly, ducking and twisting through them, 'Eight, nine, ten.' He counted as he cut them down with Wilt or shot them with Blush.  
Bullets slammed into his side knocking him off balance, his aura stopped them from piercing his body but now another soldier was moving to bash him in the face with the but of his rifle, but another shot rang out, knocking the solider off his feet.  
Adam regained his balance and faced the remaining soldiers ready, to fight. He frowned. There was no one left, every one lay on the ground either writhing in pain or unconscious. “That was quick.” he mumbled lifting his hand in a thumbs up jester so that Ruby would see. He could hear sounds of fighting coming from inside of the second truck, the one they had assumed that would hold the Dust and the Dustologist. It wouldn't take long for Blake to take out the people inside it.  
Adam raised his hand and motioned for Ruby to come down and join him, he smiled to himself as he dropped his hand. “Time to see how loyal you girls are to the White Fang.”

 

Blake had been hiding in the edge of the forest, once the fighting had begun and the convoys guards focus was all on Adam, she quickly and quietly left her hiding spot among the bushes, heading towards the second truck who's back doors where still shut. 'Our target must be in there.' she thought as ran silently across the black pavement. She reached the rear of the truck and leaned against the cool metal, drawing Gambol Shroud from her back, she had tied the ribbon to her wrist earlier so she just changed it to it's gun form.   
She pulled her hood back a breeze blew across her making her hair move and her ears twitched as she listened for sounds within the truck, all she could hear was the sound of fighting from up ahead.   
She took a breath preparing her self and grabbed the door, yanking it open, quickly assessing what was inside. There was was six guards, in between them against the back wall was a man crouched down wearing a white lab coat.   
The guards lifted their rifles aiming at her, she jumped straight up leaving her semblance, a copy of herself to get blasted away as she grabbed the top of the truck with her hands and forced herself into a handstand to keep herself out of sight.  
“Did we get her?” One of the guards questioned softly,   
“Go see.” Another ordered. A few seconds past, “T-There's nothing here!” He exclaimed.  
Blake swung her body downward, her feet slammed into the guard's chest knocking the breath from him. She rode his body down to the ground and fired Gambol Shroud twice before the others could react taking out two more guards. One in the far back fired his rifle, Blake dropped to a crouch and felt the heat and wind from the bullet as it passed between her ears.  
She narrowed her eyes and flung Gambol Shroud it slammed into the mans chest knocking him into the back wall, she yanked on the ribbon firing her weapon, the bullet hit the guard directly across the truck in the head knocking him out.  
The final guard launched himself at her attempting to hit her with the butt of his gun. Using a bit of dust and her semblance she left a clone of ice that froze the mans hands and gun inside it. Blake karate chopped the struggling guard in the back of the neck knocking him out.   
Finally she turned her attention to the man cowering in the corner. Blake walked towards him slowly, he was clutching some kind of box tightly in his arms.  
“Go away you can't have it!” The scientist shouted at her. Blake walked closer to him. 

“The White Fang want you.”


	6. chapter 6

Ruby saw Adam motion for her to come down. She returned Crimson Rose to its retracted state and placed it in its holster. 'Now I have to climb down, stupid Adam.' She cursed him in her head as she hugged the tree trunk and inched her way down, ignoring the bark that jabbed through her clothes and scratched her skin.   
“I should have shot him in the ass for throwing me in this tree.” she mumbled moving down another foot or two. “It wouldn't have killed him.” she winced as a particularly sharp piece of bark jabbed her in her inner thigh. “I could have just said I missed my target and hit him, no one would know.” She grumbled and dropped down the last three feet to the ground bellow, leaves cracked underneath her feet as she landed and dusted wood off of her clothes.  
She looked through the trees for the path that the other two had gone down but she couldn't spot one, she shrugged and started walking. “I’ll just make my own path.”  
Even with her speed semblance it took her twenty minutes and she had to turn around twice before she made it down on to the road, somehow she came out of the woods right in front of the ambush sight. She couldn't believe what she saw, “What the hell is this.” she gasped her heart stopping in her chest. Blood ran thick across the black topped asphalt of the road mixing with the flaming gasoline from the destroyed cargo truck. the soldiers that she had helped knock out where now lying dead in the center of the mess, Adam was in the middle of carnage, his grim mask splattered with blood as he pulled Wilt from the throat of a soldier and wiped the blood from the blade.   
Ruby tore her eyes away from the grotesque seen to see the other girl, Blake standing a short distant away holding her weapon in one hand and a small box in the other one, around her where six men on there knees, tied up and watching the scene before them. Five were dressed as soldiers, their masks removed. She could see the emotions of anger and sadness in their eyes but their face betrayed nothing, the sixth was wearing a white lab coat and had long black hair tied in a ponytail.  
Ruby assumed that this was the Dustologist that they had come for. “Oh, so you've made it, I was starting to think you got lost.” Adam said, Ruby's eyes flicked back to him. His voice was different, it usually was soft and sounded bored but now it held a tremor of something else.   
“Are you OK?” He asked slightly amused. He sounded, excited. “What is this.” Ruby asked looking at the horrific scene.   
“Oh, this must be a surprise to you, I'm sorry. You knew that we were sending a message.” Adam told her. Ruby stared at him lost for words, this wasn't happening, she only agreed to do this because there wouldn't be any killing.  
“Since when did we kill.” Blake finally spoke up, Ruby realized that Blake hadn't been let in on this part of the plan. “Since we underwent new management, this mission was to send a message, that the White Fang will no longer accept the treatment we have endured, no longer will we just speak out against the torment that our kind has endured at the hands of humans. We are sending them all a message that our peaceful protesting and that our non conflict ways are dead, they have made it so that we no longer have a choice. We will show them all that the White Fang will take what we want when we want it, and that we can also bite, a hell of a lot harder then they could ever!” His voice rose with each word, until his explanation became more like a well practiced speech. Ruby swallowed hard, This wasn't good, it was far worse then they had hoped.   
“So the White Fang is turning over a new leaf.” Blake stated cocking her head slightly, her ears twitched slightly. “And when were the higher ups going to let their soldiers know that?”  
Adam looked at her as he sheathed Wilt. “Well, now.” he said.   
“What are we doing with these other soldiers?” Blake asked him.  
Adam chuckled and walked towards her. “Three of them we're going to let go, someone needs to spread the message.” Adam stated as if it was obvious. He stopped in front of the soldiers and stared at them.  
“What about the other the last two?” Ruby spoke up, her heart was in her throat, she had a unsettling feeling about the answer. Adam laughed grabbing two soldiers closest to the scientists and dragged them away from the rest. “What the hell are you doing!” one of the Soldiers shouted as they where dragged over the bodies of the others. “Do you think you'll get away with this we'll hunt everyone of you down and kill you all, you Faunas bastards!” the other one screamed. Adam just chuckled as he dropped them face down in the center of the bodies.   
“Get up on your knees.” Adam ordered kicking them. The soldiers growled but sat up on their knees. Blood caked their faces, their eyes glared at Adam filled with hatred.  
Adam turned and addressed Ruby and Blake. “You two are going to prove your loyalty to the new White Fang, by killing these two men.” He chuckled.  
Ruby felt her heart stop, 'No,no,no, I can't kill someone, the only reason I agreed to this was because I wouldn't have to kill.' She thought as panic began to set in her body began to shake.  
“I have to prove my loyalty!” Blake yelled. “How dare you insinuate that I’m not loyal, I’ve been here longer then most commanders, I was raised in the White Fang and your questioning my loyalty!”   
Adam raised his hands, “It's not my call, but you've never killed someone, the higher ups just want to assure that your with them.” he explained.  
“Of course I am!” she snapped, though her voice betrayed her, she was nervous.   
“Come, kill him, or you can just leave the White Fang.” He said. Ruby instantly felt hope, 'I can just leave, they would understand, I can't kill someone.' She thought excitedly, but as Adam was finishing his sentence he was placing his hands on Wilt and Blush. Ruby's heart plummeted. 'Who am I kidding, they wont let us just leave, we know to much now, they'll kill us.' she took a breath, she had no choice.   
Blake looked over at Ruby, even though the girl was wearing the grim mask Blake could sense the emotions that were coming from her. 'I wonder if she's going to do it, I can't believe that this happening, but I don't have a choice.' Blake thought, but she took a step forward, her feet felt like they where made of lead, and every fiber of her being was screaming that this was wrong as she stepped over the bodies that lay in her path. She just stared at Adam, he had never steered her wrong before, maybe this was for the best. She swallowed and chose to follow him. She stepped over another body and slipped on blood but caught her balance.  
She saw that Ruby was also walking towards the two soldiers and Adam. It seems she had made her choice.  
Ruby stopped walking directly behind one of the kneeling soldiers just as Blake approached the other one. All Ruby could hear was the sound of her own heart beating rapidly in her ears and the man's ragged breath as she roboticly pulled Crimson Rose from it's sheath and it extend to it's gun mode. She moved it to the back of the man's head, the muzzle bumped the back of his head and the soldier stiffened.   
“Wait.” he said, the word didn't make sense to Ruby, the syllables where so far out of her current state of minds reach. “Wait,” he said again, this time she understood it. “What.” She managed to choke out, her throat was dry.  
“If your going to kill me, your going to look in the eyes of the soldier that you murdered.” the man snapped, his voice was solid and Ruby flinched from it. She didn't want this she didn't know how to cope with this. The man shifted slowly and turned around, the barrel of Crimson Rose tapped against his forehead as he stared up into her eyes, Ruby felt a tear trace down her cheek as she met the mans green eyed stare. “My name is Samuel Dirk, I have a wife, and a eight month old child.” he stated and Ruby felt her heart shatter, 'what am I doing, I can't kill someone I can't be a murderer.' she thought and looked at Blake, she already had her weapon pressed to the back of the other soldiers head, she looked at Adam, he nodded reassuringly, his hands still on Wilt and Blush. She closed her eyes. 'Remember why your here, you have to make sacrifices, you don't have choice.' She told herself, she took a breath and opened her eyes. “I'm so Sorry.” she whispered.  
Blake stared at the back of the soldiers head trying to pull the trigger, she could hear the other soldier talking to Ruby but the words were senseless to her. If she was with the White Fang she could make a difference for her kind, she could help pull them out of this age of racism and hatred, she only had to pull the trigger.   
Ruby's voice appeared in Blake's head. “Black, the beast descends from shadows.” It sung, so soft and sweet.   
Two gunshots rang out.


	7. Chapter 7

Blake lay in her bed back in her room at the White Fang base. The room was dark beside the light from the lamp that sat on her nightstand, its glow stretched over her as she held her grim mask over her head staring at it. She heard the low hum of the air conditioner click on and cool air began pouring into her room. She had always thought that killing someone would have hurt her, tore out some piece of who she was but. Now, after she had done it, she felt nothing and that scared her more then anything. 'Just how far gone am I?' she wondered.  
She thought back on what had happened. After Ruby and her had proven their loyalty they had taken the Dustologist and the dust crystal back to the airship with them, leaving the three surviving soldiers to pass on the message to the rest of Remnant. The ride back to the base had been eerily quiet, the antsy girl that had hummed sang, and fidgeted the whole way there was now gone. In her place was a small girl wrapped tightly in a red hood, she cried softly behind her mask. Blake hadn't seen the girl's tears or heard them, but she could sense them.  
The rest of the day they had spent in debriefing and heard a speech from the new leader, he was a man who believed that they could elevate the faunus race to a level of respect and power and the White Fang was going to be the spear head.  
Blake had long since pushed the test of loyalty from her mind by then, choosing to focus on other things, but the new girl had remained silent and moved through the day as if she was a zombie.  
Blake blinked and sighed. 'I hope this didn’t do something irreversible to the girl.' She thought. Even Blake could see that killing wasn't that girl's style. 'Why do I care, if she is weak enough for this to break her then she has no place here.' She thought harshly and rolled over on her side, the metal mattress springs creaking underneath her as she placed her mask beside the lamp on the bedside table then clicked the lamp off plunging the room into darkness. “I hope I made the right choice.” she thought back on the test then pushed it from her mind getting comfortable in bed and drifted off to sleep, her mind invaded with thoughts of that girl and her song.

 

On the other side of the dorms Ruby sat nearly nude in the shower, when she had entered her room she had torn her clothes off. Even though there wasn't any she felt like she was covered in the soldier's blood. Now she sat with her knees to her chest, her cloak, that she held tightly around her, was heavy with the warm water that was cascading down over her, and the hood was pulled low over the mask that she had kept on.  
'How could I do that?' she questioned herself, 'I killed him.' She clutched her head as she heard the man's voice in her head repeating his name in her head over and over. She felt the mask, and a scream poured from her mouth, why was she still wearing this cursed thing. She ripped it off her face breaking the band that held it on and hurled it away from her, it glanced of the edge of the shower with a thud, bounced off the wall and spun across the floor and into the corner.  
'I should have never came here, he said I wouldn't have to kill anyone, he lied!' she thought savagely in her head. She could pull the plug on this and leave, but then killing him would have meaningless. 'What do I do?' she wondered distraught. A face appeared in her head. A girl with lilac eyes and long blonde wavy hair framing her head.  
'Get up.' Ruby could hear her voice in her head. 'Your stronger than this. Get up and finish what you started.' She opened her eyes as the face faded from her mind. She stood shakily, wiping the tears and water from her face and turned the water off. Her sister was right. She had to finish this. But first she needed to get some sleep.  
She stepped out of the shower and pulled her soaked hood off. Sniffing softly she spread it open over the shower curtain so it would dry. Then reached over to the towel rack, grabbing a plain white towel and dried her self off. She stared at the fogged over mirror for a moment, then hesitantly she wiped a spot clean and stared at her reflection. The pale skinned girl with wet hair and puffy eyes was her, but something was missing, she could see it in her own eyes. Something was gone.  
She started to tear up again but shook her head. 'No more of that.' she told herself and hung the towel back on the rack and left the bathroom, the air conditioner had kicked on while she was in the bath room and now her room was cold, the cool air made goosebumps cover her skin and she hurried to her duffel bag since she hadn't unpacked yet and put on a pair of underwear and her white sweatpants covered with red roses and then donned a black tank top with a cute beowulf on it, choosing to forgo the bra then hurried to her bed and climbed beneath the covers.   
Surprisingly she fell asleep quickly since she was emotionally and physically drained.


End file.
